Post by temperance on Sept 12, 2007 21:36:34 GMT -5
Characters:
Ayashe, adult cougar
Paoro, adult cougar
Stone Formations
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After moving out of the forest a bit, though still surrounded by trees, a clearing comes into view. Rocks jut from the ground in no apparent pattern, at least not easily discernible from the ground. The rocks seem to form an elliptical shape, sort of like an egg, an oval amongst the grasses growing here. While the inner oval appears to have rocks that have been weathered down to about 3 feet tall, the outer oval's rocks are taller yet, about 6 feet tall, though they, too, have signs of weathering as much as the inner oval has. What has made the outer rocks survive better than the others? It appears they are the same types of rock, the same age, and the same amount of weathering, but they are just bigger than the others. This is something that could be pondered for days, if not longer. The overall feel of the place is a feeling of sacredness, or something akin to a sprituality that one feels when confronted with the unkown: a bit scary, a bit odd, but very intriguing.
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Bathing in a sliver of dying sunlight is a very contented Ayashe, daughter of the Amaranth's chieftan and his mate, Paoro. It has been several days since the cougar has seen either of her parents, but - for the first time in her life - she is at peace with this; there is pleasure to be found here in the solitude of the stone formations. Ayashe's long pink tongue rolls over the bottom of her large paws, slowly making work of the hare's blood that has gathered between her toes. There is nothing left of her kill, except for a mangled spinal column and a few ribs - which the Amaranth's heiress has kindly left to the crows.
Though beyond the heart of their lands, Paoro often enjoys visiting the stones that lie between her territory and that of the valley wolves; they hold an almost mystical energy that seems to revitalize and occasionally inspire her. Approaching from the southeast, the matron offers a rumbling purr in greeting to her eldest daughter. "Good evening, little one." Perhaps she's not so little anymore, but to a mother, your children are always seen as small.
A small smile curls across Ayashe's lips and warms her heart when she recognizes the familiar voice of her tribe's matron. "Good evening, mother," she returns in a soft voice, so as not to disturb the crows while they pick at the hare's bones and chatter raucously amongst themselves. Her nose tells her that Paoro has come alone, and while this is no reason for concern, Ayashe has always been overly worried about the safety of her family. "Father is still well, I hope?"
"Of course. Your father can take care of himself quite readily," Paoro replies with a light chuckle. "He doesn't need an aging mother like me to keep watch over him." She settles down onto her haunches with a contented sigh, eyes half-lidding as she relaxes. "You, too, are growing older, Ayashe. How do you feel?" Her question is vague, but her tone conveys its meaning well enough - Ayashe's maturation means she'll soon be replacing her mother as the matron of her tribe, and it can appear quite formidable to someone fresh out of adolescence.
"I feel - apprehensive, I suppose," Ayashe admits after a short pause, during which she watches her mother with a quiet sort of anxiety that is visible only in her eyes. Her body language remains as relaxed as ever, though there is no use in lying to someone who has raised her from a cub. Paoro can probably read her like the resident witchdoctor reads entrails. "LaVeaux and Roki are good company, but they're family like Father." There's really no easy way to put it. "I'm lonely, Mother."
Ah, youth. She, too, was young once, and just as eager to fall in love as any other female cougar in her prime. She still considers herself lucky for finding Ahiga. "I understand, my dear. Though perhaps your father will not," she adds with a teasing glint in her eyes. "Nevertheless, he will simply have to deal with his daughter growing up. Ayashe, so long as you bear our mark with pride, you may step outside our borders - as, obviously, there are no males to be found within our lands." She pauses, moving to rise and step closer to Ayashe. "If your heart guides you to someone, they may be brought back to our lands for assessment as an appropriate mate, father, and leader to the Amaranth." Ahiga and Donoma may not be as easy on the poor lad as Paoro, but a just decision will be made in the end.
Ayashe raises her head, fondly rubbing her cheek against Paoro's with a low, throaty purr. Although she'll never admit it, she's viciously jealous of her younger siblings; they have many more months before they'll be faced with the difficult decision that Ayashe is facing now. "What if I decide that I don't want to return to our lands?" she asks, suddenly sounding very hesitant. "What if I want to spend the rest of my life roaming, seeing new things and meeting new faces? I so desperately want to wander, Mother. I'm just afraid that, if I do, my heart won't let me come back."
"That is not something I can answer, my child. That is something for the spirits to determine," Paoro murmurs in response, turning to gaze at the stone formations and beyond, into the evening sky. "Perhaps they have something else in mind for you than either you or I." Her ears prick slightly at the howls from the north, but she pays them little more mind than she does whenever their chorus echoes through the night air.
Ayashe pays the howling of the wolves a little more heed than her mother does. The young cougar's eyes are drawn toward the north and she sighs heavily through her nostrils. If the spirits have something in mind for her, it should not matter where she starts her journey - only where she ends it. "I've never seen the valley," she remarks to Paoro. "Perhaps I will go there."
Paoro nods approvingly. "The wolves there are nice - at least the ones I've met. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you were to ask to visit for a while. Just tell them you're my daughter," the matron replies. "I'm surprised we haven't seen more of their own children around, as a matter of fact. I believe they're around your siblings' age as well."
This new piece of information brings a sparkle to Ayashe's eyes. She likes the little ones. "Thank you for your blessing," she murmurs. "If I should encounter trouble during my travels, then I will send word by crow." A sly look is tossed in the direction of the bickering birds, though they seem not to notice - oblivious to everything but their pickings. "Will you tell Father that I've gone?" she asks. "I would do it myself, but I suspect he may try to discourage me."
Paoro chuckles. "I imagine he would, my child." It's hard for Paoro to resist asking Ayashe to stay in their lands as well - but she must accept the fact that her child has grown up, even if Ahiga cannot, and that she will go where she wishes. She can only hope she chooses to return to her family in the end. "May the spirits guide you, Ayashe. Always look for their messages."
"I will," Ayashe promises. "Bless you, Mother." With a flick of her tail, Ayashe turns and stalks past the crows, not daring to spare one last glance over her shoulder at Paoro. If she did, she might be compelled to change her mind. The time has come for her to find her own place in the world, even if that means temporarily leaving her home and her family.
Ayashe, adult cougar
Paoro, adult cougar
Stone Formations
======================================================================
After moving out of the forest a bit, though still surrounded by trees, a clearing comes into view. Rocks jut from the ground in no apparent pattern, at least not easily discernible from the ground. The rocks seem to form an elliptical shape, sort of like an egg, an oval amongst the grasses growing here. While the inner oval appears to have rocks that have been weathered down to about 3 feet tall, the outer oval's rocks are taller yet, about 6 feet tall, though they, too, have signs of weathering as much as the inner oval has. What has made the outer rocks survive better than the others? It appears they are the same types of rock, the same age, and the same amount of weathering, but they are just bigger than the others. This is something that could be pondered for days, if not longer. The overall feel of the place is a feeling of sacredness, or something akin to a sprituality that one feels when confronted with the unkown: a bit scary, a bit odd, but very intriguing.
======================================================================
Bathing in a sliver of dying sunlight is a very contented Ayashe, daughter of the Amaranth's chieftan and his mate, Paoro. It has been several days since the cougar has seen either of her parents, but - for the first time in her life - she is at peace with this; there is pleasure to be found here in the solitude of the stone formations. Ayashe's long pink tongue rolls over the bottom of her large paws, slowly making work of the hare's blood that has gathered between her toes. There is nothing left of her kill, except for a mangled spinal column and a few ribs - which the Amaranth's heiress has kindly left to the crows.
Though beyond the heart of their lands, Paoro often enjoys visiting the stones that lie between her territory and that of the valley wolves; they hold an almost mystical energy that seems to revitalize and occasionally inspire her. Approaching from the southeast, the matron offers a rumbling purr in greeting to her eldest daughter. "Good evening, little one." Perhaps she's not so little anymore, but to a mother, your children are always seen as small.
A small smile curls across Ayashe's lips and warms her heart when she recognizes the familiar voice of her tribe's matron. "Good evening, mother," she returns in a soft voice, so as not to disturb the crows while they pick at the hare's bones and chatter raucously amongst themselves. Her nose tells her that Paoro has come alone, and while this is no reason for concern, Ayashe has always been overly worried about the safety of her family. "Father is still well, I hope?"
"Of course. Your father can take care of himself quite readily," Paoro replies with a light chuckle. "He doesn't need an aging mother like me to keep watch over him." She settles down onto her haunches with a contented sigh, eyes half-lidding as she relaxes. "You, too, are growing older, Ayashe. How do you feel?" Her question is vague, but her tone conveys its meaning well enough - Ayashe's maturation means she'll soon be replacing her mother as the matron of her tribe, and it can appear quite formidable to someone fresh out of adolescence.
"I feel - apprehensive, I suppose," Ayashe admits after a short pause, during which she watches her mother with a quiet sort of anxiety that is visible only in her eyes. Her body language remains as relaxed as ever, though there is no use in lying to someone who has raised her from a cub. Paoro can probably read her like the resident witchdoctor reads entrails. "LaVeaux and Roki are good company, but they're family like Father." There's really no easy way to put it. "I'm lonely, Mother."
Ah, youth. She, too, was young once, and just as eager to fall in love as any other female cougar in her prime. She still considers herself lucky for finding Ahiga. "I understand, my dear. Though perhaps your father will not," she adds with a teasing glint in her eyes. "Nevertheless, he will simply have to deal with his daughter growing up. Ayashe, so long as you bear our mark with pride, you may step outside our borders - as, obviously, there are no males to be found within our lands." She pauses, moving to rise and step closer to Ayashe. "If your heart guides you to someone, they may be brought back to our lands for assessment as an appropriate mate, father, and leader to the Amaranth." Ahiga and Donoma may not be as easy on the poor lad as Paoro, but a just decision will be made in the end.
Ayashe raises her head, fondly rubbing her cheek against Paoro's with a low, throaty purr. Although she'll never admit it, she's viciously jealous of her younger siblings; they have many more months before they'll be faced with the difficult decision that Ayashe is facing now. "What if I decide that I don't want to return to our lands?" she asks, suddenly sounding very hesitant. "What if I want to spend the rest of my life roaming, seeing new things and meeting new faces? I so desperately want to wander, Mother. I'm just afraid that, if I do, my heart won't let me come back."
"That is not something I can answer, my child. That is something for the spirits to determine," Paoro murmurs in response, turning to gaze at the stone formations and beyond, into the evening sky. "Perhaps they have something else in mind for you than either you or I." Her ears prick slightly at the howls from the north, but she pays them little more mind than she does whenever their chorus echoes through the night air.
Ayashe pays the howling of the wolves a little more heed than her mother does. The young cougar's eyes are drawn toward the north and she sighs heavily through her nostrils. If the spirits have something in mind for her, it should not matter where she starts her journey - only where she ends it. "I've never seen the valley," she remarks to Paoro. "Perhaps I will go there."
Paoro nods approvingly. "The wolves there are nice - at least the ones I've met. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you were to ask to visit for a while. Just tell them you're my daughter," the matron replies. "I'm surprised we haven't seen more of their own children around, as a matter of fact. I believe they're around your siblings' age as well."
This new piece of information brings a sparkle to Ayashe's eyes. She likes the little ones. "Thank you for your blessing," she murmurs. "If I should encounter trouble during my travels, then I will send word by crow." A sly look is tossed in the direction of the bickering birds, though they seem not to notice - oblivious to everything but their pickings. "Will you tell Father that I've gone?" she asks. "I would do it myself, but I suspect he may try to discourage me."
Paoro chuckles. "I imagine he would, my child." It's hard for Paoro to resist asking Ayashe to stay in their lands as well - but she must accept the fact that her child has grown up, even if Ahiga cannot, and that she will go where she wishes. She can only hope she chooses to return to her family in the end. "May the spirits guide you, Ayashe. Always look for their messages."
"I will," Ayashe promises. "Bless you, Mother." With a flick of her tail, Ayashe turns and stalks past the crows, not daring to spare one last glance over her shoulder at Paoro. If she did, she might be compelled to change her mind. The time has come for her to find her own place in the world, even if that means temporarily leaving her home and her family.